It’s That Time of Year Again! PTO and PTA Elections
Our friends at PTO Today have some great resources for making sure your election process is organized – we recommend you check them out AND take note of the helpful info below. We know electing new officers is just the first step. Making sure they are fully equipped to handle their new responsibilities is another task. That’s why we offer some expert advice from our team of fundraising coaches (hint: they are all former parent group leaders and volunteers, so you can trust that they know what they're talking about)!
Tip #1 - Review Past Fundraising Events
A new fundraising chair first needs to understand how you fundraised in the past - what worked, what didn’t work, what you would do differently, what goals you set at the end of your previous event. Regardless of the type of fundraiser you hosted in past years, your overall feedback and review is important.
Ask yourself – did the event itself run smoothly or were there a few areas to improve on? Were there any specific details (incentives, themes, kick-off assembly, etc.) that were a huge hit and should be continued in the year to come?
Spend some time on your own, or as a team, and give a grade to your past fundraising events. Each fundraising event "report card" can include the important information that your new chair will need for the year ahead.
Tip # 2 Go Over Your Event Essentials
Get Movin' schools know what makes the most difference when they partner with us, and these are the essential elements that need to be communicated to your new chair. Haven't teamed up with us yet? (What are you waiting for!). Here is the list of essentials that you should be using to guide any successful fundraising event!
- An Online Platform - As a parent group leader, we know your job can be stressful. But, your fundraiser doesn’t have to be - especially if you take it online. With FundHub, you can keep all of your event data in one place (the School Dashboard), while utilizing as many of our online features as you want to simplify your tasks and cut down on your to-do list. Using an online platform also gives you updates in real-time and the ability to view your event progress at the click of a button. You’ll be addicted to watching those donations come in! >> Learn more about FundHub
- Promotion - Any successful event needs a cheerleader! Go over your promotion tactics so the new chair can emulate them. These can include social media, the school website, morning announcements, bulletin boards, email, and paper flyers. We have TONS of templates in our Event Toolbox and plenty of digital communication tools that make this job a breeze.
- Incentives - These are the prizes and experience-based awards that take your fundraiser to the next level. What worked to drive engagement last year? Team up with Get Movin' and get access to numerous lists and guides for cost-effective (or free) student incentives that really work!
- Social Sharing - Why is this important? Because if you're going to have an online fundraiser then you also need to promote it online by sharing on social media! Our easy share tools is changing the way fundraisers reach family and friends. Our schools can share student webpages through social media, email, and text. In a recent survey we found that twice as many donations came from Facebook shares as opposed to emailing parents. Now sharing your fundraiser on social media is just a click away, making it easy and convenient for parents!
Tip #3 Be Available During the First Event
Make yourself available next year for a few short phone calls from the new chairperson. Often times, a new chair has no experience with fundraising and offering yourself as a mentor can go a long way to relieving any stress or worry the new chair might have. Want help with this? Check the last tip!
Tip #4 Connect Your New Chair to Your Fundraising Company
We love connecting with each individual chair and offering our expert coaching for every single event! This means you get a personal connection with us and someone to call, text, or email whenever you want advice or help. Our Personal Event Coaches (PECs) love meeting new chairs and if you are a Get Movin' school we help make the transition as seamless as possible.
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